Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by Huber Capital Management LLC

Huber Capital Management LLC lessened its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 25.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 41,423 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 14,031 shares during the period. Cheniere Energy accounts for approximately 1.2% of Huber Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Huber Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $8,052,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LNG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth $731,774,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 555.0% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 810,138 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $157,483,000 after acquiring an additional 686,459 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 518.8% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 577,533 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $112,267,000 after acquiring an additional 484,198 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,124,870,000 after acquiring an additional 414,022 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,007,073 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,411,542,000 after purchasing an additional 377,369 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $240.85 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.47 billion and a P/E ratio of 39.61. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $251.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. Cheniere Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.51%.

Insider Activity

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.63.

About Cheniere Energy

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S.-based energy company that develops, owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and markets LNG to global customers. The company’s core activities include natural gas liquefaction, long‑term and short‑term LNG sales and marketing, and the associated midstream services required to move gas from production basins to international markets. Cheniere focuses on converting domestic natural gas into LNG for export, providing a bridge between North American supply and overseas demand.

Cheniere’s principal operating assets are large-scale LNG export terminals located on the U.S.